Eagles Announce They Claim OT Welch Off Waivers from Rams

The Eagles announced that they have claimed offensive tackle Thomas Welch off waivers from the Rams.

A 2010 seventh-round pick out of Vanderbilt by the New England Patriots, Welch spent 15 weeks on the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad that season before he was added to the active roster for the final three weeks. Welch did not dress for any of those games and was waived by the Vikings in September.

Welch shuttled between the Patriots’ practice squad and active roster at the start of last season, starting one of three games before joining the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad in mid-November. The Rams signed Welch off the Bills’ practice squad and he appeared in five games. In eight games with New England and St. Louis, Welch appeared in 85 offensive snaps and 21 plays on special teams.

The 6-foot-6, 312-pound Welch adds depth to the Eagles offensive tackle situation that currently has Todd Herremans and Demetress Bell as starters while Pro Bowler Jason Peters recovers from a torn Achilles’ tendon.